Case Study: Gillette’s Holographic Effects Yields Sustainable Results

Posted: March 3, 2011, from the March 2011 issue of GCI Magazine.

When it comes to eye-catching packaging, Gillette is among the market leaders. The brand continued to reinforce its position when it worked with Diamond Packaging to achieve a metallized effect on the packaging for the launch of their premium Gillette Fusion® ProGlide™ shaving system.

Marketing Goals

Procter & Gamble, the owner of the Gillette brand, understands the role that packaging plays in it “First Moment of Truth" (FMOT) initiative, which considers in-store brand perception. The packaging for Gillette's Fusion ProGlide shaving system needed to deliver the “wow” factor but do so sustainably and without the use of metalized lamination, added costs or increased lead times.

Solution

As a natural evolution of Diamond's greenbox initiative, the company applied a tradition of innovation to green packaging design. Diamond's new Green Chic packaging was designed to deliver "Beauty without Compromise" by capturing the essence of high profile brands while communicating an environmentally-friendly image and awareness. Diamond demonstrated its Green Chic model in the Fusion ProGlide packaging through the use of more sustainable converting methods, including the inline application of MiraFoil metallic coating and Cast and Cure holographic effects.

MiraFoil specialty coating delivers “Foil on Demand at Print Speed.” It is, according to the company, an economical alternative to foil stamping, and can be applied in-line. The environmentally-friendly coating is recyclable, uses no heavy metals, and results in less material and energy usage compared to an off-line foil stamping process. The conversion to MiraFoil from foil-laminated board (used in previous versions of Gillette packaging) resulted in reduced costs and shorter lead times.

“The old technology could be recycled, but had a different recovery value,” said Michael Marcinkowski, senior engineer R&D, global package development, Diamond Packaging. “Plus, it‟s harder on the carbon footprint because you have to send the board out to be laminatedand then ship it back to the converter. With MiraFoil, you eliminate that entire process because you can print all in one pass, all on one station, on one machine. The product lifecycle with associated carbon dioxide release is much better. When you do an analysis, such as with the Walmart Scorecard, the MiraFoil process gives you some wins.”